Great British Sewing Bee finalist 'just as nervous' to watch it on TV

Tamara Melvin, from Walton, has made it into the final three for the BBC's Great British Sewing Bee final this week

Tamara Melvin from Walton who is appearing in the new series of The Great British Sewing Bee

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The Great British Sewing Bee star Tamara Melvin said she is incredibly nervous ahead of the series finale on Tuesday (April 8).

The show was actually shot over two months last summer - and Mrs Melvin, from Walton, has been sworn to secrecy about the outcome - but she said that does not make it any less stressful.

"It has been like being back there," said the 40-year-old mum of two, "I am just as nervous as when I was there.

"At first I don't think anyone really recognised me from the series but as the weeks have passed I have had more and more people coming up to me and asking where they know me from.

"The support has been just incredible - I had no idea the show would be so popular."

Sewing is second nature to Mrs Melvin, of Orchard Close, who spent her youth surrounded by fabric, hand-stitching clothes for her dolls until she was able to use a sewing machine herself.

She has taken part in the programme in the hope of being named Britain’s best home sewer.

Mrs Melvin, who is also a yoga teacher, said: “I watched the programme last year and thought 'I could do that' – and do a better job.

"I have been sewing for 30 years. Sewing is in my family.

"The programme was a really nice challenge and pushed boundaries because of working under pressure.

"The nicest thing about it was being able to sew for two days straight. Usually I am trying to balance it with cooking dinner for the kids or something like that.

"Life is back to normal now and all my yoga friends are loving it.

"We are all going to go to the pub together to watch the final.

"The kids know who the winner is but are keeping very tight lipped about it. We all sit down as a family and watch mummy on the telly together.

"Normally they have fallen asleep by the end though."

The show, fronted by Claudia Winkleman, is made in the same format as The Great British Bake Off, with every episode involving three challenges for contestants.

The first involves creating an item of clothing from a pattern.

Contestants then face an alteration challenge. In one case, they were given two shirts and asked to make something different with them. The third challenge is to create a piece that they have had time to develop.

Mrs Melvin makes her own clothes and her family’s - including pieces for daughter Lily, nine, and son Charlie, seven - from recycled materials, a trend that has seen a revival in recent years.

She visits charity shops in West Molesey and Walton and fabric shops in Kingston to create her pieces.